The Blue Bird of Bludhaven
by Misskinny
Summary: When Dick Grayson is declared dead, the whole world is shocked by the news. That's when Nightwing shows up. Could this "little" blue bird be the biggest, strangest, yet oddly familiar, hero Batman and the team have ever encountered? **BEING RE-WRITTEN
1. Dead

**Disclaimer:** I don't own YJ or any of its characters

~.~.~.~

"What do you mean, 'take me off the team'!"

This had been going on for thirty minutes. Bruce had never seen Dick so upset, of course, he should be. He had not only failed his mission badly, but had threatened the lives of his teammates.

"I didn't say to take you off the team, Dick" Bruce said, looming over the boy who didn't so much as flinch. "I said I'm going to give you a break, emotional breakdowns cannot happen on anymore missions."

"That _is_ taking me off the team!" Dick yelled.

Bruce sighed. "We're done talking about this." He tried putting his hand on Dick's shoulder to comfort him, who only gave him a nasty look and ran off to his room.

He heard the faint screams of anger as Dick slammed his door shut, Bruce shook his head.

"You know, Master Bruce." Said Alfred, Bruce jumped a little inside. after all these years of training and being Batman, he still couldn't hear the tiny and quiet footsteps of his butler. And friend. "You were a bit to hard on the boy."

Bruce growled. "I was not. He had an emotional breakdown and almost cost the team their lives."

Alfred frowned. "Did you ever consider asking why?"

"Why what?"

Alfred frowned deeper, "Why he had such a breakdown."

Bruce shook his head once more, "I'm done with this. No need to argue, my decision is made up."

He started to walk off to his quarters, when he heard Alfred's voice once more.

"He sees you as a father, Sir. There is no need to-"

"He is not my son, nor will he ever be." Bruce growled, storming off to his quarters.

If he wasn't so trained in these types of things, Alfred would have jumped at the harsh remark.

Little did they both know, Dick was listening the whole time.

~.~.~

Dick was waiting for the appropriate time to apologize to Bruce, hearing their conversation from the top of the long steps.

When he heard the remark, Dick didn't feel anger.

He felt depression.

 _"Is this what he thinks of me? Am I really just a poor orphan boy that was taken in for the press?"_

Dick felt a single tear drop onto the his leg. He wanted to make himself stop thinking about it, but..

 _"I've always thought of him as my second father. The one who took me and cared for me during my darkest times.."_

"But I guess" Dick whispered, "He doesn't think the same way."

He quietly went back up to his room, staring at the wall of his celling as he laid the no longer comfortable bed. "I can't stay here" Dick whispered to himself. "I'm probably just a pain, someone who was only here to be a charity case."

Dick wiped the strangled tears. He knew what he had to do.

"I'm going to run away"

Dick sighed, how was he going to do that? Batman would surely find out.

"Not unless.." Dick smiled. "There is no official hero in, Blüdhaven"

With that last thought, Dick exited through his window. Jumping onto the grass of the mansion below.

~.~.~

Alfred had noticed the quietness of the young master's bedroom, which was very odd, to say the least.

 _"Maybe he's asleep?"_ Alfred thought, but quickly wiped the theory away. It was only ten on a Saturday, much to early for Master Dick to be asleep on his own free will.

Alfred considered whether or not he should check on him. He might still be angry at Master Bruce, for it was unfair. But he couldn't be mad at him, nobody could stay mad at Alfred for long.

Alfred quietly walked up the steps, finding his door in the mess of hallways and doors. Not that his wasn't simple to find, since it had a big sign that read "Dick's Room, Open if you Dare"

Alfred felt himself smile quietly as he knocked on the door, Master Dick surely did have a sense of humor.

"Master Dick?" Alfred asked, knocking again. Something wasn't right.

"Master Dick, I'm coming in" Alfred said, trying to open the door. It was locked.

"Master Dick!" Alfred said, slightly raising his voice out of worry. He fumbled with the un-opening door, it was stuck _and_ locked.

Bruce came running up the steps, "Alfred! What's going on? Where's Dick?"

"I don't know, sir. He won't answer the door!"

Bruce knew Alfred must be worried, Alfred _never_ raised his voice.

"Stand back, Alfred" Bruce warned. Alfred merely watched as Bruce kicked the door down with all his mite.

Only to see an empty room.

And there was no Dick.

~.~.~

Bruce was already in the bat cave, wondering all the possible things and people that would have taken Dick.

He saw thing after thing, villain after villain.

The only one that had escaped Arkam in such a short time..

No.

It couldn't be.

"Joker." Bruce whispered.

~.~.~

Bruce was there, as Barry would say, in a flash.

He was at an abandoned building on the outskirts of Gotham, which obviously held the Joker. There were face painted Joker heads everywhere.

He walked in slowly, till he came to an empty room.

"Welcome, batsy!" Said a voice in the shadows of the dark place.

Well, almost empty.

Batman easily punched the Joker in the neck, for he was standing right behind him. In fact, with just a kick he was..

knocked out?

"This is to easy for comfort" Batman remarked.

He found a light switch, hoping to see any other goons that might be hiding.

When the lights turned up, his eyes took to one place. And one place only.

The blood of Dick Grayson, painted as the Joker's symbol.

~.~.~.~

Well, What did you guys think?

I know, this doesn't really flow well. I needed to add a whole bunch of things to one single chapter. Hopefully it didn't turn out _to_ incredibly bad..

Promise it'll make more sense next chapter!


	2. Nightwing

**Disclaimer** : I don't own YJ for any of its characters

~.~.~.~

"Thomas will be pleased" Said a voice, running out of the bank. I couldn't help but laugh. Seriously, these guys were idiots.

I ran on the rooftop buildings, following the getaway car.

There's a few things wrong with this plan. The most obvious was the car was a van, easily could be matched by the police. Then, they were cocky. Laughing and blaring music, not having a care in the world.

And of course, they actually said thier boss's name. Seriously? How stupid could you get?

I smirked under my black mask, jumping down from the rooftops where the van was now parked.

"Come on, the boss's almost here" Said the goon, his figure was slim. Unlike most of the goons I've ever seen. Not that size mattered, they were still cocky. Which was easy enough by itself.

I've learned quite a few things over the past year, one of which was how scary my low chuckle was. Why not put things to good use?

I let out a low laugh. The bigger buy jumped, hurrying his pace. They were right on the harbor when the slim goon stopper. He narrowed his eyes at the shadows. "Who's there?"

I laughed again, now they were both scared. The bigger one was trembling, while the slimmer one was silently shaking. "Who do you think's out there, Bart?"

Bart? Seriously? No wonder he was a gang member. Probably got picked on for his name all through his high school life.

"No idea, Dave. Where's the boss when you need him?" Bart mumbled, Dave shrugged, still trembling slightly.

That's my cue.

I jumped down from the rooftops below, Bart jumped, Dave screamed. What a bunch of idiots.

Dave backed up against the wall of pier 1's small shed, Bart grabbed his gun. Shooting into the open air, not hitting a single thing. God, could these guys do _anything_ right?

"G-get out here! Freak!"

I rolled my eyes, their comebacks were worse then some of Flash's villains. And that was saying a lot.

I quickly threw a boomerang, or, as I liked to call them, birdarangs. Knocking the gun out of the guy's hand, I sent in a flying kick. He dodged it.

Well, at least he had some skill.

I threw my hand to his face, he wasn't able to dodge that one. He was sent backwards, grabbing his jaw out of pain. I saw the faint glimmer of blood in the moonlight before I kicked him in the head.

He fell to the ground this time. I quickly grabbed his shirt collar, holding him up while I slammed him to the ground. With a gasp of pain, he was successfully knocked out.

Now, for the fat one.

I skimmed the shadows. Only to see Dave hiding behind a trashcan, trembling with fright.

I walked over to him, he put his hands over his face, trying to protect his head.

I threw the trashcan out of the way, grabbing his arms and pinning him to the ground. I finally l let go after a few pleads and failed attempted of getting away. Kicked him to the head, knocking him out as well.

I looked at the sight in front of me, two men were out cold. Now, to find their boss.

~.~.~

I was scouting the harbor from above, seeing a van pull in and money bags being pulled out of it.

Bingo.

I quietly, yet quickly, jumped from building to building, up and down latters where I could see the sight in front of me. They were bellowing, laughing and throwing the money bags without a care in the world.

These guys were so easy. How come the police didn't find them yet?

That's when I saw her.

A little girl, no older than seven, climber out of the van. Blindfolded and bound.

Oh hell no.

I didn't care how bad I would hurt them. Nobody, and I mean _nobody_ , captures a child on my watch.

"Get moving!" One yelled, I heard a slight whimper as the pushed her into the abandoned warehouse.

Now they're really going down.

I launched myself from the building, grabbing my grappling hook. It shimmered in the night as it hooked around a nearby warehouse roof. I watched, even more anger filled me as I heard a soft crying.

I barged into the warehouse.

That's when I noticed she wasn't only crying. She was _praying_. Praying that somebody would find her.

I was raging.

I slammed my fist into the upcoming goons. I kicked a few more, punched a few, and eventually came to the boss.

"I-I'm not afraid of you!" he stammered.

I saw him grab his gun. I saw him aim and fire. Everything was in slow motion.

I grabbed a wooden board, blocking the bullets as I came closer to his shotgun. He gasped as each recoil hit him harder. I eventually grabbed my birdarang and threw it at him, hitting his gun. The man held his hand in pain, folding over himself as I landed a hard punch to the stomach.

I grabbed his hands and pinned his squirmy body to the ground, trying to catch his breath while also trying to get away. I pulled his hands up higher, he gasped. one more inch up and his arm would break.

I bent down to his ear, he shivered as my warm breath his neck.

"Get out of my city"

I threw him into wooden barrels, not giving him a chance to answer.

Now, to comfort the little girl.

I slowly walked over to the girl, carefully unraveling her binds and blindfold.

She looked up at my dark costume, trying to get away from me. Gasping when I reached down to touch her.

"Please! Don't hurt me!" She whimpered, barely whispering it.

I slowly took off my mask, "It's okay. See? I'm not a bad guy."

She slowly looked up at me, not fully convinced.

"My name's Nightwing. What's yours?"

"Molly" She whispered, clutching her chest.

I smiled, and she gave me a small smile back.

"Want to go home?"

She nodded, I scooped her into my arms as I put my mask back on.

"Do you want to fly?"

She looked at me with big eyes. "You can fly?"

"Well," I admitted. "Not entirely. But it's like you're flying."

She gave me another small smile, nodding eagerly.

"Hold on tight" I said, throwing my grappling hook into the sky as we zipped threw the night. She hugged my chest, laughing a bit as I landed on the steps of the police station.

"Now, these are good guys. They'll take you home from there."

"Will I ever see you again?" She asked as I put her down. I looked into her big beautiful brown eyes, she actually wanted to see me again?

"I'll be around. I promise." I said, I guided her to the door.

I gave her a small note to give to the police. Flipping into the night, I watched from the shadows.

~.~.~

Officer Pablo sighed. Another child had been captured, Molly Green. Couldn't these people ever just-

He heard a light knock on the police door, interrupting his thoughts. Who would be out so late? He looked interestingly and opened to see Molly Green, looking at him with sad brown eyes.

"H-how?" he stuttered, looking at the child who had been captured only two hours ago from a nearby hostage bank robbery.

She gave him a small, sad smile. Handing him a hand written note.

 _Take this child to her parents. She's been waiting very patiently._

 _-Nightwing_

He gasped, looking at her. She smiled. "Nightwing said you'd bring me home." She looked down, " _Can_ I go home?"

He smiled back. "Of course. Have you ever been in a police car before?"

~.~.~

Nightwing smiled as the police car pulled away. These policemen weren't anything like Gotham.

Not that there weren't corrupted men, there was just, less.

Then again, there were more crime bosses here then in Gotham. A lot more, actually.

Sure, Gotham had the Joker and eventual Two Face, along with other crazy villains, but there weren't really _any_ crime bosses or gangs.

Sigh. The Joker. Sure, he may be crazy, but he sure knows how to fake a death.

 _ **-Flashback-**_

"Look! It's batsy's little friend! Robin!"

He laughed, but I just frowned. "I've come to make a deal, Joker."

"Oh? Do tell"

"If I break you out of Arkam along with Harley, you'll help me fake my death."

He laughed. "Sounds like a deal to me!"

I knew I couldn't trust him fully. After all, he has killed millions of lives. But, he was the only one that Batman would believe would kill me, and not just hold me hostage.

I carefully unlocked the door, "Follow me. We'll get Harley, and you'll help me fake my death."

in only a few more minutes, Harley was broken out. We were in a getaway car to an abandoned building on the outskirts of Gotham.

"Sorry if this is personal, boy blunder" Harley said, "but why do you want to fake your death?"

I only had one way to do this, tell the truth. "Get away from Batman."

Joker started laughing, startling Harley. "Finally! Someone who wants to get away from the mean old bat. Always spoiling my plans for fun."

I came up with an idea. If I got the Joker to like me, maybe he would help me more with my death.

"Not only that, be he's got absolutely no sense of humor! No fun, if you ask me."

Joker laughed even harder. "Batman's a stubborn creature, isn't he Harley?"

"Yes, Mr. J."

Joker wiped a tear from his eye. "See? Now we finally have someone who has a good idea on Batman!"

I nodded, giving him a wide smile. "Let's not forget about the time he tried to lock you up, and you spit in his face!"

Joker was laughing harder, if that was possible. "How could I forget? He was so mad! HAHAHA!"

Harley smiled. Joker grinned wider back.

"So..." Joker said, dragging out the word. "You want to fake your death? I know exactly what we'll have to do!"

I grinned at him, and he laughed. "I was considering killing you, but now that I see what kind of humor you've got, I'll do what you ask! HAHAHA!"

Exactly what I wanted to hear.

~.~.~

I had left at the age of thirteen. Now, I was fourteen. A whole year older, and a whole lot better.

Batman would never suspect a thing. The league thinks I died, I had heard about two months ago they'd stopped looking. I knew Batman wasn't quite done, but what did I care? He probably just wanted his attention back. Not that he wasn't getting enough by acting depressed by the loss of his 'son'.

Even if I did forgive him, which I haven't, I doubt I'd ever go back. He had already told the press Joker had taken me hostage and killed me, which the press hadn't doubted for a second. He got a lot of attention, probably exactly what he wanted..

I returned to my abandoned warehouse 'base'. Which, really, was a home. I couldn't show any I.D since I had died, so no apartment. Not that it really mattered, I had modified the place quite a bit. Cameras, speakers hooked up to multiple police radios, easy hack-and-go holographic computer, and a simple (yet complex) computer, which really looked like Batman's bat-computer.

Along with training equipment and a bed, this place was a hero-going-solo's dream.

Now, if only I could make the glove..

~.~.~.~

How was this chapter? Long enough? (And hopefully able to make up for the last chapter..)

 **-Reviews-**

PikaWings: Thanks!

alexisbelt: Nah, I feel the same way ;)


	3. Grief

**Disclaimer** : I don't own YJ or any of its characters

~.~.~.~

Wonder Woman sighed, Batman had put another villain in a full body cast. This time, it was a mere Joker follower, he just did what he was told to do. Of course, Batman didn't care. He didn't care about any villain anymore.

She watched sadly as Batman walked through the tower, his face kept stone. She knew he was sad about losing Dick. No matter how much he tried to keep his face with no emotion, his eyes were always full of grief. Full of sadness.

They were all sad about losing Dick, he was like a son. Not just to Bruce, but to everyone in the league. He was a very nice boy, one that they had all known since he was nine years old. He had learned at an early age to keep his emotions in check, but that never stopped he shine in his eyes. The happiness when he smiled. His face lit up the room.

When Bruce had found Dick, his whole world changed. He knew what it was like to have a son, someone that filled his world with love and happiness that he had never known before.

It changed everyone's lives, everyone in the League's. For when Dick had walked through that door as Robin, he had immediately was loved. He was cute, he was nice, he was funny.. Everything that made anyone's lives more memorable.

Wonder Woman felt a tear run down her cheek. He had died at such an early age, never got to know what it was like to grow up. Robin, their cheery little boy, had died to the horrible hands of the Joker. He had been showed no mercy, most likely beaten and tortured, killed, then gutted. This poor boy, who had gone through so much at an early age, saw the true evils in this world. And then, died to them.

And the worst part was, there was nothing any of them could do.

~.~.~

 _"I could have saved him, I could have done something"_

Batman's soul had died the that day. And he blamed himself every single day, thinking he could have done something, anything, to protect his little bird.

And now, he was gone.

At the funeral, Bruce had shed tears. Not because of the public image, he didn't care about the public image. They were real tears, real feelings had shone. For the second time in his life, he knew what it was like to truly like to lose something that you love.

Only this time, it had been his only son.

When his parents had died, it was nobodies fault. It was a mugger, he couldn't have done something. But now, he was Batman. He could have stopped the man. He could have done something.

Alfred insisted it wasn't his fault. But how could it not be his fault? He had died to the hands of the Joker. Died to the hands of a crazy lunatic who had killed many lives. The one who had taken his son and killed him right underneath his nose.

And he never got to say goodbye.

Batman walked down the hall. Trying not to notice Wonder Woman looking at him with puffy eyes. She had been crying, probably thinking of Dick.

He felt sorrowful gazes follow him as he made his way to the Zeta Tube.

He heard Superman and Green Arrow talking in the hallway, but not about League stuff. It was quite clear of that. But it also wasn't about Dick.

So, against his thought of how he shouldn't interrupt, he walked up behind them.

"What is this about?" He asked in a gruff voice.

Hal turned around wide eyes. Clark smirked a bit at the hero's reaction. But quickly went back to business.

"Apparently, there's a new hero. Nightwing, I believe."

"Yeah" Green Arrow joined in, "In Blüdhaven. He fought a crime boss to save a little girl, has also stopped several robberies and big crime bosses."

"Don't get to comfortable with this new hero" Batman warned. "He is most likely spread rumors to get fame, I would have heard about it if it was true."

Superman frowned. "Then go do your research. I know these 'rumors' actually happened."

Batman gave him a glare, which Superman looked away real quick. Maybe that wasn't such a good idea.

With the swing of his cape, Batman was gone. Superman sighed of relief, "I hope he wasn't too angry"

"Nah. He probably was." Green Arrow grinned at the scared look on Superman's face.

~.~.~

Batman glared at the screen. Nightwing _was_ in fact a new hero of Blüdhaven, and all the things Superman had said was true.

"How had I not heard of this?" Batman grumbled.

"That, Master Bruce, is because you've been putting villains in fully body casts and not noticing less than you should."

Batman glared at Alfred, pulling his cowl down to reveal Bruce Wayne.

"I'm doing just fine, Alfred."

"Master Bruce, I know you're in grief about Master Dick. But you cannot punish others who had nothing to do with the situation. That man that had been working for the Joker, his family was threatened if he didn't work for him. You should have put him in jail, not punish him for something that he was forced to do under the will of the ten year old son."

Batman looked absolutely shocked. Something you didn't see very often with Batman _or_ Bruce.

"And" Alfred added, "You never looked into why he was doing this. You, sir, need to look at the detail."

"You're right, Alfred." Batman said. "Is his son alright?"

Alfred looked at the floor. "Yes, he is okay. But with the cost of his mother dying in front of him, as well as a broken arm."

Batman was shaking. Not with anger or sadness, but with fear. Fear of what he had done. He had almost killed that boy's father, and now, he had no mother. Only the memory of blood. Just like Dick long ago.

"I will make this right. That boy will find an amazing home with a loving family. I know it may, no, _will_ never make up for his parents. But it will give him comfort he deserves."

"The name is Mark Tim." Alfred said as Bruce went back to his research. "And, sir?"

Bruce gave him a questioning look.

"Thank you"

~.~.~

Superman sat down in the commons, resting his hands on his knees.

God, he missed Dick. Playing an unfair game of hide and go seek around the commons was always fun. Not that Dick wouldn't find his just as easily, which made the game more fair in a way.

He didn't notice Hal sitting there till he heard the sigh.

"You thinking about Dick too?"

"Every day"

They went back to an uncomfortable silence.

"I can't bear it. Dick was lost to the Joker, and yet all we do is grief. Wouldn't Dick want us to cherish our moments together with him?"

Hal looked sad and angry. He was more mad at himself then anyone else, though.

Wonder Woman, who was standing by with a bunch of other heroes. walked forward. "I believe so. He wouldn't want us to think of the bad things, instead, think of the moments we had spent with him. The good moment of his life."

When more silence followed, Wonder Woman smiled ever-so-slightly. "I remember the time when Dick hacked into the computer, over and over again. Sending us on a wild goose chase all throughout the ship."

Superman stepped in. "I'm sure we can all remember the time Dick went 'missing' for a day, when in reality he was eating chips in the kitchen. Holding his glove, such a mischievous boy."

Flash zoomed up to the front.

"I remember the time when he had pranked me, sending me searching through the ship for a whole day!"

John laughed from the back of the crowd. "More in which we _all_ pranked you."

~.~.~

Robin laughed a bit as he heard Flash call his name, running place after place. Frowning slightly as Superman flew up to him.

"You can't do this to Flash" He scolded.

"Come on! I'm trying to run _away_ from Flash. Not show him obvious clues as you're standing next to an air vent. Besides, it's fun to see him go on a wild goose chase."

Superman frowned, turning quickly into a smirk.

"If I agree to this, you have to hack into the training room and scare Green Arrow later. Got it?"

Robin smiled evilly, shrinking back into the air vents.

This was just in time as Flash came running down the hall. "Superman! Thank goodness. I'm looking for Robin, can you help?"

Superman shook his head, "No can do, it's almost time for dinner. And by the way" he leaned into Flash's ear, "Batman's going to kill you"

He heard Flash shriek as he ran down the hall, yelling his name in the distance.

Superman laughed, only to see Wonder Woman going down the hall. He looked nervously at the floor.

"I know what you're doing" She gave him a scolding look. Quickly turning into a smile, "And I'm going to help."

Flash ran around for the entire time. Eventually all the members were involved, laughing secretly as Flash got more paranoid.

When Batman entered the room, his face paled.

"Where is Dick?" Batman growled. Flash shrank under the tone.

"I can't find him" Flash squeaked. "Please don't kill me!"

Batman gave him a glare before looking at the air vent. "Dick, I know you're in there"

Suddenly the vent popped open, revealing Dick with a satisfied smile.

"Ready to go home?" A nod followed, and Dick gave one last smirk and wave before heading to the Zeta Beam.

~.~.~

Flash laughed, "I'm still waiting to get you guys back for that"

Black Canary's Zeta Beam was heard in the distance. Revealing a puffy nosed, watery eyed girl.

"Canary! Are you okay?"

She nodded, wiping away an stray tear. "I overheard the Young Justice team talk about Robin. God, I miss him."

She started to cry, Falling into the hands of Green Arrow, who shed a few tears as well.

After that, tears were shed. Whether it was a few or balling.

And it wasn't only girls that cried.

~.~.~

I smiled. Finally, the glove was complete.

If only the League could see me now, independent and working on my own. Creating state of the art technology with old computers. A little Star Labs stuff does, of course, help too.

Not to mention the awesome new features! God, if only Batman could-

I scowled. No matter how much I missed him, there was no going back. He thought I was dead, and it's going to stay that way.

Besides, I was doing just fine on my own. Not to mention made an awesome new costume. One that was black, with a little blue symbol. Perfect for blending in, nothing like my old Robin costume. That was good for the kid I used to be, but not good for a fourteen year old who had seen many deaths in the past six years.

Now, back to researching the crime boss that had taken a poor innocent man.

And Batman, seriously? That man had a son. Ugh, bats these days..

~.~.~.~

Wow, that took a lot of effort to write. Writer's block! Always gets the best of me..

 **-REVIEWS-**

Amazed (Guest): Thanks! Sorry about the late update. Writers block sucks.

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PikaWings: That will come later, thanks for the idea, though!

alexisbelt: Same! It'll be fun to write.


	4. Team's Reaction

**Disclaimer:** I don't own YJ or any of its characters

~.~.~.~

M'gan sighed, the mix of emotions filling her head.

Ever since the death of Robin, the whole team has flowed their emotions without care. She understood why, she was upset herself. Her thoughts flooded with the other mixes of emotions, sadness, anger, depressing thoughts, and denial.

Wait, denial?

Oh, Wally. Again.

Wally has been in denial every day since the death of his closest teammate. His closest friend. She knew it was a way to keep his emotions in check, keep a glimmer of hope. She admired the feeling that he was trying to keep wishing, hoping. Hoping and wishing for something who could never come true. Someone who could never live again. While everyone was filled with depressing thoughts, he kept hoping for the day Robin would walk back into their life. Walk back through the Beam with a smile on his face, laughing and using everyone as his own personal jump spring. But even his hope was dying, she could feel it. Feel the shining hope dull out.

Of course, it didn't fade the other emotions. Artemis was angry, angry she couldn't have been there for the youngest on the team. Connor was upset with himself, just like Artemis. Feeling like he could have fixed it. Kaldur was sad, isolating himself except during missions. He always kept a level head, but she could feel and hear the faint silent tears in the room next to hers. Wally was in denial.

But M'gan? She was a mix of all of them. Angry and upset she couldn't help, sad the boy who would light up the entire room with a joke could never laugh again. Maybe she was a bit in denial herself. It didn't help that the mix of emotions was making her go a little crazy.

Wally was sitting on the couch, keeping his loud thoughts to himself. She didn't want to intrude, but couldn't help but hear.

 _"His body was never found, he never even was found! That could lead to something.."_

M'gan sighed. "Wally, I know you're upset. But he's gone, and nobody can ever do anything about it"

Wally slumped in his chair, she heard one last thought before he completely went silent.

 _"Maybe, just maybe, she's right"_

M'gan walked over, sitting next to him on the small couch. Artemis joined a second later.

"How about we turn on a show to keep our minds off of this?" She said loudly, "M'gan must be going crazy"

M'gan blushed, "Y-yeah. You guys think pretty loud."

Connor mumbled to himself something about how unfair their choice was when the news came on, but didn't press the matter.

 _ **-World News-**_

"Hello! This is Amy Ogle, and I welcome you to worldwide news channel!" She smiled brightly, "Today, we will be talking about a new hero of Blüdhaven. Who, if the sources are correct, goes by Nightwing.

"Some recent footage, as you will see in a minute, shows him taking down the minor crime boss. One who has been dealing dangerous drugs for the past two months. Many people have witnessed this 'Nightwing' showing up more often, taking down many bosses around the city.

"Mike, cue the footage!"

 _-Footage-_

Nightwing stood by the a goon, holding him up closely, whispering something in his ear that made the goon point.

Silence follows as Nightwing disappears into the shadows, as soon as this happens, the camera turned to another scene.

Nightwing is a blur, a blob of light. Dodging kicks and punches, while also dodging bullets. He was slightly scraped by a bullet in the process, but seemed to either ignore it or didn't notice. As he knocked out the final goon, which was cowardly running, he made it to the crime boss. Who was smirking, pulling out a pistol.

The man gasped as a boomerang was thrown at the gun, making it fly out of his head. Obviously the guy was not made for hand-to-hand combat, for he threw a weak punch, only hitting the shoulder. Nightwing hit a flying fist back, blood pouring from his nose. In only a few more seconds, he was wiped off his feet.

 _-End Footage-_

"And there you have it, ladies and gentleman! The new hero of Blüdhaven. Will this hero become the greatest hero, and maybe join the Justice League? Only time will tell. Now we move on to the weather, after the break."

Silence follows as Kaldur turned off the TV.

"That's rather interesting" Wally remarked, still staring at the dark screen.

Kaldur's mouth was opening and closing like a fish, only saying something when the alert when off for a mission debrief.

"Are we going to get up, or just get an angry Batman?"

M'gan immediately got up, floating over to the computer, Only to have Kaldur reach it first.

Batman kept a stone face as he explained the mission, making the team shrink ever so slightly.

"As you may have heard, Nightwing has been recognized as a hero. I want you to try and convince him to join the team."

Artemis clutched her hands together. "You can't expect us to invite someone we barley know to join the team! He's not even a partner! Join the Justice League if anything, not our team!"

Batman narrowed his eyes, but Artemis didn't back down.

"We. Will. Not." Artemis said, abbreviating every word.

Kaldur put a hand on her shoulder, "With all due respect, I will have to agree. We do not know this person, and may bring harm to us."

Batman's eyes hardened. "You must be at least twenty one to join the Justice League. And like it or not, he _will_ try and be convinced."

"But-"

"No excuses, Batman out."

Artemis glared at the now empty screen. Rage filled her eyes.

"I can't believe it! Why would he do this to us?!"

Wally sighed, "Artemis, I know you're upset, but that's the orders."

Connor glared at all of them, "How about we stop arguing and just get this over with?"

With that, Connor stomped out. Following were a bunch of angry and confused teenagers.

~.~.~

I heard the faint cry of an airplane.

No, it couldn't be an airplane. They were all canceled do to recent storms.

Plus, I would see it up in the sky.

Was it a helicopter? It sounded more like that. No, it wouldn't be a helicopter, those would be off the air too.

So what could it be?

I felt the cold rain drop onto my skin, drizzling into my eyes. Well, part of them. Since most of it was covered with a mask. I heard the thing land close, what on earth?

I watched closely, feeling some leaves blow from around me. I felt the warm air, it had to be a helicopter.

Wait, where _was_ the helicopter?

Oh crap.

Ooooh crap.

I felt like a nightmare had just come true, as just as I suspected, my old teammates climbed out of the Bioship. Searching for me, searching for _me_!

I had to hide, do anything to make sure they didn't find me. What if they recognized me? What if M'gan read my thoughts? What if-

"I think he's over here!" I heard Wally yell.

Crap.

I had no choice, I had to make myself show up.

So, I leapt from the shadows. Landing a perfect double flip. Backwards.

I heard Wally yelp as I surprised him. Just like the old days.

I smirked as Kaldur's eyes widened, but quickly went back to his calm face. "We wish to speak with you, Nightwing"

I rolled my unseen eyes. Duh, why else would they be here?

"What do you want?" I growled out, making M'gan silently flinch.

As much as I hated to admit it, scaring my former teammates was kind of fun. I loved watching their surprised reaction. Did Batman get the same out of his sudden showing up? If only I could ask him..

"Why is he suddenly so quiet?" I heard Connor say just above a whisper, M'gan shrugged.

This time, I showed my eye roll. "I asked you a question. what do you want?"

Wally nervously stepped up to the plate. "We wish you to join our team."

My eyes widened. Me? Join their team?

"Of course, you have every right to say no" Artemis pretty much spat out. Just like her old self, not wanting anyone else to join the team.

Wally frowned. "You know we're supposed to persuade him, right?"

"Of course I know that!" Artemis yelled, getting a frown from Kaldur. She sighed, quieting.

"We ask you, my friend, to join us" Kaldur said calmly.

"No. I work alone." I said in my deep voice.

"If you would just consider-" M'gan started. I narrowed my eyes.

"No."

This time, Wally tried. "Please, Nightwing, we only want-"

"No."

After a minute, Connor put his head in his hands. "This is a lost cause."

"Yeah" Artemis agreed, trying to hold back a satisfied smirk.

I inwardly groaned, these guys were impossible.

"You know what?" I said gruffly, "I will consider it."

Kaldur and Artemis' eyes widened. For entirely different reasons.

"This does _not_ mean yes." I said sharply. "But, it does not mean no."

Wally smiled, "We hope you'll consider the 'join our team' side more closely."

I smiled to myself. God, I missed Wally.

"No, we don't" Artemis mumbled, I chose to ignore her.

"I will consider it, don't get your hopes up" I told them, Kaldur gave me a small smile.

"Thank you, my friend."

I leapt back into the shadows. Maybe, just maybe, this will work out.

~.~.~

"That didn't go _quite_ as planned" Wally admitted, "But at least we got somewhere."

M'gan, however, was looking out the window.

"M'gan, are you alright?" Connor said concerned, looking at his friend with a caring expression.

"I could have sworn I heard something while we were talking to him" She said, turning her gaze to her friends.

"What was it?" Artemis said, generally interested in the current conversation.

"I thought he said, 'just like the old days'" She told them, "I don't know, it could have been a few straying civilians. But-"

"That was most likely the cause" Kaldur said, "He has not reason to know us"

"I know, but-"

"I'm going to have to agree with Kaldur" Wally said softly. "He has no reason to know us, no knowledge. We've never met him, and I highly doubt he'd ever know us""

M'gan sighed, frowning in slight disbelief. She, however, let it go. They were probably right.

"We're landing" Connor said, looking out the Bioship window,

They filed out of the ship, smelling the gas fumes of the bikes that were filled before they left.

"Let us go talk to Batman. He hopefully will not be to angry, since we had made him consider it"

Kaldur led the way to the mission room, where Batman waited with hard eyes.

"Was your mission a success?"

Kaldur nodded slightly, "Yes, sir. He said he would consider it."

Batman nodded, "Is that all?"

Kaldur looked at everyone for confirmation, then nodded.

"Very well. You may leave, good work"

Connor smiled a little, Batman never said "good work". He must have actually thought they did very well.

As they reached the TV, he was quiet while they were arguing over the station. He didn't care this time, might as well let them watch whatever they wanted.

~.~.~

I smiled, I might be able to see my team again. My friends.

I just had to make sure nobody knew who I am. Correction, who I was.

I took off my mask, looking at myself in the bathroom mirror. I was still the same Richard John 'Dick' Grayson. The bright blue, shiny eyes. That is, till I put in my contacts, which snow a dull emerald-green.

The only way to get past the Bat was to act nothing like my old self. No childish jokes around him, no clue that I was the child that had died a year ago. I was fourteen now, and I had to "act my age".

Well, that is, when the Bat was around.

I could act like how I was long ago around my teammates. Well, maybe a _bit_ more mature. After all, I was fourteen.

Ugh, what if Miss M read my mind?

Wait.

The device!

I was working on a special device just for this, just in case of martin emergencies. All I needed to do was perfect it, and bam! Amazing, perfect way to see my friends again. I only wanted to see their faces again. Their awesome ways that I missed dearly.

Now, do the device, join the team, and then do missions like the old days.

If only I could do it sooner..

~.~.~.~

Awesome! Finally, a new update! Woohoo!

Sorry, again. Writer block, am I right?

 **-REVIEWS-**

a-girl-a-computer-and-a-fandom: I cannot wait either! It'll be sooooo much fun to write! Thanks for the constant support!

The Shadow Keeper: Same! Next chapter, they'll finally meet Nightwing for real! :)


	5. Bonding

**Disclaimer** : I don't own YJ or any of its characters

~.~.~.~

 _"Stupid thing!"_ I thought, glaring at the device on the table. I've been trying to perfect it, the mind reading thingy. I might just have to go with my thoughts by keeping them in check and hope for the best.

I glance down at my holographic computer, showing the time 11:11.

"Shoot!" I yelled, remembering I was supposed to be there at 11:30. I had time, but not much. Especially when the closest Zeta Beam is fifteen minutes away. With that, I dash off, grabbing my costume in a work bag and hoping to pass off as a regular runner on a beautiful Saturday afternoon. I guess I'm going to have to rely just on my skills when it comes to pushing Megan out. After all, this is just a meetup. Plenty of time to make the thing work later.

Running through the crisp air, I smile. It was never happy and clean in Gotham. Much less sunny and good a comfortable temperature for a nice long walk. I then scowled, no time for daydreaming, I had to be there in seven minutes. At least I was coming closed, two minutes till I arrived at the Zeta Beam. I ran a bit faster. After you've been working as Robin for five years, then solo for another year, you get used to running. Can't be slow when chasing Penguin's goons around rooftops, after all.

I was there about a minute later in the old junkyard across from the gas station. Now to-

Dang it! Forgot about the Zeta Beam announcer.

 _"There's no way I'm going to be on time"_ I thought, _"Not when I have to hack the Zeta Beam"_

So, I sat down on the dirty garbage-filed floor, pulling out my holo computer and hacking till I was staring at the screen of the Zeta Beam announcer prints.

~.~.~

"Where is he?" I heard Wally proclaim, slumping on the couch bored.

I smirked, "right here"

Wally screamed, jumping out from his chair and running into the kitchen. Hiding behind a counter, he peeked out, only to see his friends stifling laughs, while I was trying to hold back a laugh myself.

"How did you get through without the Zeta Beam recognizing you?" Connor asked, looking at me with sudden interest.

I shrugged as a response, "I'm a hacker, it's what I do". Megan looked at me, unsure of something. "What is it?" I asked, startling her.

"It's just that.." She trailed off, still looking unsure.

I gave her an encouraging nod, silently begging her to continue. She sighed, "You see, we had a teammate named Robin. And he also liked to.. Hack"

Megan was I the verge of tears. I didn't know what to do, after all, Robin had died. I couldn't comfort her like that. But, I also had to act like I didn't know how to act around these guys. I tried to make a decision, stand there awkwardly or try and help? Luckily, the decision was made for me. Connor walked up to get, putting a hand on her shoulder and smiling. Connor and Megan must be a thing now, which didn't surprise me all that much as it probably should have.

I felt surprisingly awkward, so I struck up a conversation. "Now that I have decided I will join the team, I think it would be best to tell me what to call you guys."

Wally went first, "My name's Kid Flash, but I go by Wally"

Megan smiled at me, "I'm M'gan, but you can call me Megan"

Connor frowned, "Super Boy, but call me Connor"

Kaldur nodded at me politely, "Kaldur'ahm. But please, call my Kaldur off mission"

Artemis had been staring at the TV, trying her hardest to avoid eye contact. She only looked up when everyone started staring at her. "What?"

Wally rolled his eyes, "You gonna introduce yourself?"

Artemis grumbled something about how unfair this was, but gave in. "Artemis" she replied, looking at me with a glare. I just smirked.

"What do you think is so funny?" She asked, looking at me with death glare. I smirked again.

"Oh nothing, just the fact of how you look when you try and give me the famous Bat Glare" I said.

A look if surprised passed her face, but I realized wasn't from my statement. I didn't need to turn around when I said "Why, hello Batman." Wally's mouth opened and closed like a fish out of water, obviously shocked on how I was able to tell if he was behind me. I turned around, greeted by a half-hearted glare. "Nightwing" he acknowledged, nodding his head in my direction. "We will talk in the training room when you are done" It wasn't a suggestion.

"So" Megan said, not liking the silence that followed. "Do you have a name you go by?"

I panicked a bit, what was I going to tell them? What was I going to do? They offered me their names, so ur would be rude not to offer mine. Wait, since when did I care about being rude? Secret identity is key in this situation, and I've gotta keep this identity going. "Nightwing" I said simply.

"No, I mean-"

"I know what you mean" I grumbled, "And, to answer that question, I don't have a name."

Her smile wavered,"if you'd rather not tell us that's-"

I shook my head. "No, I'm being serious. I don't have a name" Connor gave me a disbelieving look, "it's complicated" I said truthfully.

Kaldur chose then to speak up, "that is fine, my friend. We just hope you will grow more comfortable with our team. We may become a second family."

Might as well keep being truthful, they might question me less. "You would be my first family" I mumbled just loud enough for everyone to hear.

Wally sheepishly scratched his head, "Would you like to talk about it?" Good old Wally, always looking up for everyone.

"No" I answered, looking at Artemis who wad staring at me weirdly. "What?"

She shook her head, "Nothing" she muttered, turning her attention back to her teammates. I rolled my eyes.

"I might as well get going to meet Batman, especially if you're going to talk about me in a mind link" I said, already walking towards the hallways. I heard the faint grumble of voices, some blaming Artemis, while others mumbling about how early and easily I had found out. I went into the training room, where Batman had been working on a punching bag. I smiled silently, "I see someone was bored" Batman gave me a glare, turning his attention towards me. I knew he wasn't here to give me a friendly tour.

Just as I suspected, Batman suddenly started straight into my blue, er, green eyes. "Everyone on this team has an identity, everyone on this team wishes to keep it hidden. You, however, don't seem to have _any_ identity. And I want answers" Once again, wasn't a suggestion.

"Look, Batman. Have you told anyone your identity?" No response, "I thought so. So why do you have any expectance to have me tell you?" Batman glared at me harder, but I didn't back down. "Sorry Batman, but I've added to work on this team. And that means, we play by a few rules."

"And what, exactly, would those be?" Batman growled, I didn't flinch like most people would. Of course, I'm not like most people.

"First of all, no asking for my identity." I made that part clear, showing him I meant it. "Then, my own room. No way I'm sharing with anyone." He nodded, understanding. "And last, program the beam thing to say Nightwing. I'd rather it make a noise when I enter."

I started to walk out, when I heard his voice once again. "I will find out your identity, you're just making it harder on yourself."

I laughed, actually laughed. "Okay, you do that. Good luck!"

~.~.~

I walked into the room silently, watching then whisper about me. I rolled my eyes, "You still have no right to talk behind my back, you know." Megan stared wide eyes, looking down at the floor. Artemis was the only one that didn't look sheepish. She, like usual, looked like she wanted to strain my neck for whatever reason.

"I'm, sorry" Kaldur said, "You are right. We have no reason to do this, and we are sorry." Everyone nodded in agreement.

I nodded back understandingly, unsure what to do. "It's alright, I just don't appreciate it when others talk behind someone's back" That was true, there was a lot of gossip about me when I was Bruce's ward, and I never liked it. But, it was hard to _not_ see gossip. After all, when you're living with a billionaire playboy and go to the richest school in Gotham, it was pretty much impossible to have at least one person not talk behind your back. Best thing about being dead, you no longer have to deal with mean people. Faking a death was even better, for you can live _and_ get away from people.

I didn't notice I was sitting down on the couch till I looked up to see static filling the screen, I smiled a bit at all the memories that flooded with it. Everyone, especially Connor, looked pretty happy. That's when I noticed Wally's weird fidgeting. I could tell he wanted to ask me something.

"What is it, K- er, Wally?" I asked, cursing at myself for almost calling him "KF". I'm not Robin anymore, and I wouldn't know their nicknames.

"Um, um.." Wally stumbled, looking for the correct words.

"Spit it out, Baywatch!" Artemis said loudly, glaring at both of us.

"Well, I was just wondering," He paused for a second, "Do you know who Robin is?"

I had a whole cover planned for these types of questions, "Well, I've heard of Batman's partner, but I've never met him. Why?"

Wally looked down with a sad expression, "Have you heard that he died?" I nodded, not knowing where this was going.

"Do you know how?" I shook my head again, but then looked at him knowingly.

"Well, I've heard stories about the Joker, but those could be fake. I'm never around Gotham much, especially with a certain Bat who's very good at protecting and claiming territory."

Wally sighed, "Thanks."

Now I was really confused, "Why do you want to know?"

"Well, you just seem a lot like him." Wally answered, and that scared me. Have I already blown my cover? "I know he's dead, but I'm glad I've got someone who can somewhat remind me of him. If only you had the eyes."

I smiled, "I'm guessing my dull green eyes don't quite match up with his?"

Wally just laughed, shaking his head. "Nope, his were blue. Very distinct, if I may add"

 _"That's why I wear contacts"_ I thought, laughing under my breath. My eyes would give me away immediately, no matter how well I tried to hide them.

I looked around the room, everyone's eyes mixed with happiness of me joining, yet sadness of Robin being brought up. I frowned, I didn't like how they mourned over me. Was I really that important to them? Or was it all an act?

I shook my head to clear the thoughts. Of course they missed me! They were my best friends, and I was theirs. I'm sure Batman even missed me, but I couldn't return to them. No matter how much I wanted to. I was solo hero now, and I didn't want to be dead. I wanted to move on from my rich life and be more serious, being with Bruce could never do that for me.

Besides, what good would it do me? I'm dead in their minds, and if Robin was suddenly "alive", how would they react? I didn't want to know, nor was I ever going to.

~.~.~

( **A/N** : Italics = Mind Link)

 _He really does seem like Robin"_ Artemis remarked, looking at the daydreaming fourteen year old.

 _"I will have to agree. His body structure is the same, but that does not mean much"_ Kaldur added.

 _"He's actually kinda cute"_ M'gan giggled, giving Superboy a frown when he was about to protest.

 _"Anyway,"_ Wally gave M'gan a quick glare, _"I feel like he's had a bad past, he doesn't really talk much, compared to Robin"_

 _"Why are we comparing him to Robin?"_ Connor grumbled, _"It doesn't make him any better or worse, it's just a waste of time. He's obviously not Robin, so why compare?"_

Kaldur considered this before answering, _"He is right, we also agreed to stop talking behind his back. So let us stop, my friends."_

Nightwing suddenly smiled widely, _"You know, you guys think really loud"_

M'gan partially gasped, looking at her friends with embarrassment. "H-how?" She asked out loud, only to see Nightwing grinning wider.

He just laughed, _"Little known secret. I'll teach you guys sometime, but for now, who's up for cookies?"_

~.~.~

"Where on earth did you learn to cook like that?" Wally asked, munching down on crunchy, yet gooey, chocolate chip cookies.

Of course, the real reason was the countless hours I spent baking in Alfred's kitchen. But, I couldn't answer it that way, not when I had agreed to be on a team and a man who know me very well eager to learn things about me. So, instead I answered "I picked up a few things here and there."

Wally smiled at me with brown chocolate covered teeth, picking up four more. Getting a deadly glare from Artemis, he put down two of them before running to the couch. As if to get far away from Artemis as possible. I just laughed, handing Artemis a cookie who took a small bite, almost like she was testing for poison.

I rolled my eyes, handing Connor and Megan cookies as well. They both ate them rather quickly, but Megan looked a bit disappointed, which confused me. "Megan? Do you not like the cookies?"

Megan looked up, startled. "No! I love them. Why?"

I shook my head, "Nothing, you just look disappointed for some reason."

"Oh" She said, "I'm sorry, it's just that these take so much better than mine. It was more out of laughter than out of anger or real disappointment"

"Nah, you're fine. I get it. I used to make horrible cookies, but then I was taught how to make great ones. You know, I am more than willing to teach you."

She smiled, "Really?" I nodded in response. "Oh! Thank you, thank you!"

I handed Kaldur a cookie, who have me a polite nod and sat by Wally on the couch. "Hey Wally, there's still five more-"

He zipped across the room and shoved two cookies in his mouth before I could finish the sentence. He grinned at me, placing two more in his mouth. I pulled the last one away before he could reach it.

"Hey! What gives?" He asked, licking his chocolate covered fingers.

"You know that _I_ haven't had one cookie, right?" I told him. He pouted a bit before I said, "I'll make more later. For now, I gotta get my stuff unpacked. I'll be living here for a while."

"Awesome!" Said Wally, grinning along with the rest of the team.

Maybe, just maybe, I'll actually find a real home here.

Living alone sorta sucks.

~.~.~.~

Yes! Thanks guys for the favorites and follows! And yes, I'm going to have Artemis in denial for a bit. But she'll eventually come around, and Wally of course came around fast.

Anyway, thanks to the 42 follows and 22 favorites!

 **-REVIEWS-**

Guess of honor: Thanks! Writing this is fun, and I'm glad some people enjoy it!

Shime no ko: Totally forgot about the Zeta Tubes. Added them into this, chapter. Thanks!


	6. Drug Deal and Wally

**Disclaimer** : I don't own YJ or any of its characters

~.~.~.~

 _ **SNAP**_

 _ **CRACK**_

I gasped, sitting up so fast I swear I gave myself whiplash. One breath in, one breath out. One breath in, one breath out. After I calmed down a bit, I glanced at the clock, five in the morning in a new bed on a new team. Definitely not the best circumstances to wake up in.

I sighed, leaning back. I haven't dreamed about them in forever. I wasn't sure if that was good or bad. Did it show I was or wasn't weak? That I did or didn't love them anymore?

I was interrupted by a light knock on the door, "come in" I mumbled. Thank god I slept with my mask and contacts in, because M'gan walked though the door.

"Hey" She said awkwardly, scratching the back of her head and looking for something to say. Bruce was right, reading people came in handy. Whether t's when you're working on a case or tying up a goon, or, in this case, trying to make sure M'gan doesn't know your secret. "You, okay?" She asked, startling me.

"Uh, yeah." I answered, confused. "I'm tired, though. That could be because you're standing in my room at five in the morning" I winked at her, she blushed.

"Oh, yeah. Sorry" She mumbled, "Bad dream?"

How did she know- wait. Duh. Martian powers. I felt kinda bad, she probably couldn't sleep either since my room is right next to hers. I must have dreamed really loud or something.

After about a minute of awkward silence, I spoke up. "Did I scream?" I asked, already knowing the answer.

"Yes, but only once. And only loud enough to wake me."

I shook my head, "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to wake you."

She smiled. "It's fine" she paused, "Do you wanna talk about it?"

I shook my head once more, "Nah, I'm good." She looked uncertain. "Thanks though." I added quickly

She gave me another small smile before heading out the door, I sighed in relief. She didn't seem to know what my dream was about, which was thankful. I didn't know if I had that dream when I was Robin.

I sighed, leaning back into the pillow. There was no way I was getting anymore sleep tonight.

~.~.~

"Team, report for mission debrief" Said a deep gruff voice. Sigh, Batman these days.

We all ran up from the couch, standing in front of him. I tried to hide my smile, just look the good old days.

"There have been reports of dangerous drug dealers in Blüdhaven" He glanced at me, "And with this-"

"Batman, Blüdhaven is _my_ city." I spat, and Kaldur winced slightly at my dangerous tone. "And you stay _out_ of my city"

Batman glared at me, "You will go on this mission"

I growled, "You don't understand. There are really dangerous drug dealers in-"

"We can handle it" Superboy said harshly. I glared at him.

"Superboy is right" Kaldur said, "We will be able to handle this. We have dealt with drug dealers before."

I shook my head. They have no idea what they're getting into.

He gave the rest of the instructions, but I barely listened. I felt anger run through me. How _dare_ they not listen. I knew what was in my city! It wasn't till I heard the signal to go that I snapped out of it. I ran along with everyone else to the bioship, prepared for the worst

~.~.~

"Bioship is landing" Megan said from the front seat, I looked out the window. Blüdhaven was beautiful this time of day. The noise went down, city lights lit up. But mostly, the sun barely sitting on the horizon, with only a matter of minutes before it went down completely, leaving a trail of purple and gold in the sky.

"Megan, setup the mind link" Kaldur ordered. Megan nodded in conformation, holding her hands to her head.

 _'Mind link set'_ M'gan said, low whispers of conformation told me everyone was in.

 _'We shall start the plan. Kid Flash, zoom ahead and tell us the places of the guards. M'gan, camouflage and sneak in, but do not disturb anyone. Tell us where the drugs are being kept if possible. Nightwing, go with her. You seem to be the stealthiest. Artemis, scout the area with me. Superboy, we will call if needed. I am sorry my friend, but we need stealth.'_ Kaldur said. When he was sure everyone understood, he gave us a nod and we set off.

I saw the faint glimpse of M'gan, she pointed where to go before disappearing. I walked in the shadows, being sure to keep out of sight.

When we reached the inside of the building, I saw Wally waiting for us. M'gan went out of camouflage, giving us a quick nod before floating down to the ground.

 _'Wally, where are the guards?'_ I was a bit surprised she called him by his real name.

Wally had a look of panic on his face, _'I don't know. I couldn't find any of them.'_

 _'Now that you mention it'_ I thought loudly, _'I didn't have to sneak past any goons. There is no way this is a coincidence.'_

That's when a heard the faint shuffle of boots.

 _'Help! We're being ambushed!'_ I yelled in the mind link. Just as I suspected, over two dozen gang members started attacking.

 _'On our way!'_ Kaldur said, I could tell he was trying to get here as fast as possible.

But he wouldn't get there fast enough.

 _'Conner! We need your help!'_ I thought loudly, panting as I tried to knock another guard unconscious.

I heard a high pitched scream, looking over to see Wally being held and injected with a serum.

Not good, not good. So not good!

I managed to make my way over to Wally, kicking the guards away. Wally was unconscious, which scared me. Who knows what type of stuff was in the serum?

Superboy, Kaldur, and Artemis barged in the room. They shot, punched, and electrocuted the goons.

"Megan! Behind you!" I yelled to her, but it was too late. Someone's fist collided with her head, she then fell towards the ground. Superboy roared, running over to the gang member, punching him. Hard.

I was still attending to Wally, I knew Superboy had M'gan covered.

"Abort the mission!" Kaldur yelled. Everyone obeyed, running towards the nearest exit.

I grabbed Wally, scooping him up in my arms. He's gotten heavier, but I was still able to carry him.

I ran with Wally in my arms, M'gan was finally awake, and she floated along with Conner running behind her.

When I finally reached the Bioship, we sped away. I could only watch as we lifted higher off the ground.

~.~.~

"We need medical attention!" I yelled, picking the now stirring Wally.

Black Canary immediately wheeled him out on the stretcher. I could only watch helplessly as my friend, no, best friend, was hurt.

The team and I returned to the mission room where Batman stood.

"There were many things that went wrong with this mission. First, nobody was paying attention. You all could have been killed. You're lucky Wally wasn't killed."

I felt anger boil inside me. "Wait, you're saying this is _our_ fault?" I didn't give him a chance to answer. "I tried to warn you, Batman. But no, you thought your decision was better than someone who has been on that very street for a year. A _year_! You're not always right, Batman. And sometimes, you need to learn to take other's opinions."

I took one look at his eyes to see a split second of shock. I stormed out of the room, leaving the team and Green Arrow, who had been watching, mouths drop open.

I needed to see Wally.

~.~.~

I sat next to Wally's bed, pulling up a chair. He groaned, starting to wake up.

Wally tried to sit up, but winced in pain. I laughed a bit, "Take it easy Walls. You have two cracked ribs and maybe a broken one. Not to mention the drugs are still trying to get out of your system."

Wally looked at me weirdly, which sort of made me nervous. "That nickname, Walls, Robin used to call me that.."

I gulped. Have I given myself away already?

He frowned, looking me up and down. "There's something you're not telling me." He crossed his arms, wincing slightly as he touched one of his ribs.

"Can I trust you?"

"Huh?"

"Can I trust you?" I stated again. He nodded. "I better be making the right decision.."

I took off my mask, slowly taking my contacts out. There I was, unmasked and vulnerable.

He looked at my, dumbfounded. It took about a minute to respond. "Dick?"

I smiled at him, nodding.

"B-but, you are, no were-"

"Dead?" I finished, he nodded in conformation.

"Let me start from the beginning"

 _-Flashback-_

 _"First of all, Boy Blunder, I'ma need a blood sample." He grinned widely at me as I stuck out my arm.  
_

 _"May I ask why?"_

 _"See, if I put it in this machine-" he gestured towards a little heap of metal and gears on the table, "It can duplicate your blood cells."_

 _"Gee, you're crazy and a genius."_

 _He grinned wider, if that was possible. "Sure am, HAHAHAH"_

 _He laughed a bit too, making him laugh harder._

 _"Now, we wait a minute.."_

 _*DING*_

 _"There we go! Blood is duplicated."_

 _I smiled at him, grinning wider. "Mind if I paint a little artistic work with your blood?" He asked._

 _"Nope, don't mind at all. Feel free." I stated, grinning wider._

 _He quickly got to work, painting a huge Joker symbol._

 _"Harley!" He yelled, she skipped over to him. "Make sure to-"_

 _I cut him off, throwing a large serum. "Sorry, but I need to make it look like I fought you. It temporarily makes your muscles not quite as strong. Now, I've got to get going. Thanks again!"_

 _I heard the Joker laughing in the distance, stealing the car and driving off._

~.~.~

"That's.. Quite the story" He said dumbly. I laughed a bit.

"Yeah. Who knew the Joker had a good side?"

Wally shrugged. "Just a question, when _are_ you going to tell Batman?"

I froze.

"You can't tell him, promise me you won't tell him."

Wally looked shocked, "Wait, what? He's been grieving for so long! Don't you think he misses you? He deserves to know."

"Wally." I stated, "this is the _second_ time I've trusted you with my identity. Please, don't make me regret this."

"Can you at least tell me why?"

I sighed.

 _-Flashback 1-_

 _"What do you mean, 'take me off the team'!"_

 _This had been going on for thirty minutes. Bruce had never seen Dick so upset, of course, he should be. He had not only failed his mission badly, but had threatened the lives of his teammates._

 _"I didn't say to take you off the team, Dick" Bruce said, looming over the boy who didn't so much as flinch. "I said I'm going to give you a break, emotional breakdowns cannot happen on anymore missions."_

 _"That is taking me off the team!" Dick yelled._

 _Bruce sighed. "We're done talking about this." He tried putting his hand on Dick's shoulder to comfort him, who only gave him a nasty look and ran off to his room._

 _He heard the faint screams of anger as Dick slammed his door shut, Bruce shook his head._

 _"You know, Master Bruce." Said Alfred, Bruce jumped a little inside. after all these years of training and being Batman, he still couldn't hear the tiny and quiet footsteps of his butler. And friend. "You were a bit to hard on the boy."_

 _Bruce growled. "I was not. He had an emotional breakdown and almost cost the team their lives."_

 _Alfred frowned. "Did you ever consider asking why?"_

 _"Why what?"_

 _Alfred frowned deeper, "Why he had such a breakdown."_

 _Bruce shook his head once more, "I'm done with this. No need to argue, my decision is made up."_

 _He started to walk off to his quarters, when he heard Alfred's voice once more._

 _"He sees you as a father, Sir. There is no need to-"_

 _"He is not my son, nor will he ever be." Bruce growled, storming off to his quarters._

 _If he wasn't so trained in these types of things, Alfred would have jumped at the harsh remark._

 _Little did they both know, Dick was listening the whole time._

 _-Flashback 2-_

 _Dick was waiting for the appropriate time to apologize to Bruce, hearing their conversation from the top of the long steps._

 _When he heard the remark, Dick didn't feel anger._

 _He felt depression._

 _"Is this what he thinks of me? Am I really just a poor orphan boy that was taken in for the press?"_

 _Dick felt a single tear drop onto the his leg. He wanted to make himself stop thinking about it, but.._

 _"I've always thought of him as my second father. The one who took me and cared for me during my darkest times.."_

 _"But I guess" Dick whispered, "He doesn't think the same way."_

 _He quietly went back up to his room, staring at the wall of his celling as he laid the no longer comfortable bed. "I can't stay here" Dick whispered to himself. "I'm probably just a pain, someone who was only here to be a charity case."_

 _Dick wiped the strangled tears. He knew what he had to do._

 _"I'm going to run away"_

 _Dick sighed, how was he going to do that? Batman would surely find out._

 _"Not unless.." Dick smiled. "There is no official hero in, Blüdhaven"_

 _With that last thought, Dick exited through his window. Jumping onto the grass of the mansion below._

 _-End of Flashback-_

Wally whistled. "Wow."

I nodded, sighing deeply. "I mean, I do, of course, miss him. But it's much too late to turn back now." I paused, "Please. Tell me you won't tell Batman."

Wally frowned, "I promise."

I gave him a thankful smile. He yawned, "you should get some rest. It's been a long day."

He nodded tiredly, I walked out of the room.

And I couldn't help but smile.

~.~.~.~

What'd you think?

I know.. I need an explanation.

Let's just say, I've been so incredibly busy. Also, home life has been kind of yuck right now. I hop you enjoy the 2,500 word story! (2nd biggest so far!)

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	7. Training

**Disclaimer:** I don't own YJ or any of its characters.

* * *

Batman slammed his hand onto the unsuspecting, as Dick liked to call it, bat-computer, trying to ignore the slight stinging pain from his ungloved and unguarded hand from the desk that the big computer sat on. He stared up at the bright white pixel screen with anger, which was the one of the many light sources in that cave. It was showing the many birth records and public/private school enrollments of boys in Gotham with similar builds, height, ages, weight.. There were just to many of them. Almost all of them had the dull green eyes, black hair, muscular body build, and pretty much everything else in common. The only one that _could_ be him was James Collin, but he didn't look muscular at all. It was obvious this "Nightwing" personal was very athletic, and James had very little muscles. If any.

And so, Batman was beyond frustrated. He had spent countless hours looking for the identity of Nightwing, only to come up with no results. It had only took him two hours at the most to find everyone in the Justice League's identity, yet he couldn't find an armature hero? Batman closed his eyes, trying to remember every detail about the boy. _Between the ages of fourteen and sixteen, green eyes, black hair, muscular build. Obviously has had lots of training._ Those were the few things he knew about him, he then realized something. He was indeed trained, but, by who? Who could have trained him? Deathstroke? No, Nightwing wasn't evil. One of the Justice League members? No, none of them claimed to know him, much less recognize him.

He suddenly got an idea. If Nightwing was trained by a professional, then maybe, just maybe, if he found the person who trained Nightwing, then he could find out Nightwing's secret identity. Who he really was behind the dark mask.

"Computer," Batman instructed, "pull up a list of all personal athletic trainers in Gotham City."

 _[Pulling up request]_

After he heard the words of the metallic voice of the bat-computer, he got to work. Batman's fingers typed furiously on the keyboard, this was the only thing that could be heard echoing in the cave apart from the constant erythematic beeping of the computer and occasional bats, squeaking from high above. Every part of his mind was working like gears, thinking and working hard. He kept looking back and forth between the list of boys and the trainers for any connections. He looked at everything from flyers, to websites, social media accounts, and even hacked into a few personal things. He came up with a few results, narrowing it down to three boys. Tyler, Gabe, and Sam. All have won countless awards for athleticism, had personal trainers, and fit the estimated weight and height category.

Tyler had blue eyes, blond hair, a muscular build, and was seventeen. Not quite what he was looking for. Gabe had green eyes, brown hair, a taller build, and was fourteen. Closer, but not quite. And then Sam had black hair, brown eyes, bigger build, and was fifteen. Still not right. Each of them only had one or two things in common with Nightwing.

Batman kept looking for signs out of his own stubbornness. He typed, and typed, and typed. His fingers were sore, his brain hurt from the staring at the bright light, and he was very tired. Eventually, thirty minutes passed by, but each minute seemed like hours that counted towards his no-sleep extent. In the end, he was stumped, which angered him. How was he stumped on a simple hero? A minor one at that. It was almost as if he didn't exist.

But, he had to exist. Everyone existed in one way or another, the only tricky part was finding out from where-

Wait.

Where?

Batman felt like hitting his head with his hand. What if he lived in Blüdhaven? That is, after all, where he originated and fights.

Batman pulled off his cowl, not realizing he was wearing it until now. As he revealed it to be Bruce Wayne, he ran his fingers through his hair, which was hot and sticky and sweaty from the warm cowl. He felt the smooth, hard armor on the outside of the cowl before getting up and heading to the changing rooms, hearing the calm dripping of the water from the top of the cave. On his way he grabbed a cool glass of bottled water and some comfortable clothes, he had to do this tomorrow, tonight would already be a long night, owning a huge billion dollar company isn't always as great as it seems. He would most likely fall asleep at his desk again, and would most likely be calmly yelled at my his butler, if that was even possible. He thought he remembered everything and noticed everything on his mental check list. However, it wasn't until he finally reached the changing room that he began to dawn on something. Something very important and almost horrifying.

 _Does.. Nightwing know my identity?_

* * *

 _[Recognize: Black Canary]_

I looked up to see Black Canary in her usual black training clothes. I felt a twinge of excitement as she said;

"Alright, team. Time for some training. Get ready for some sparing!" Black Canary said as she stepped out of the Zeta Beam with her happy attitude. I smiled a bit, how I missed BC. All of her therapy sessions.. she actually cared what was going on in our lives. Unlucky _somebody_ know.

We ran from out spots. Wally, Artemis, and I were watching The Lion King on the green sofa, M'gan was baking the chocolate chip cookies I taught her with Conner, and Kaldur was practicing his fighting in the gym. I'm sure by now he had practically destroyed the punching bags.

When we got all there, including the now sweaty Kaldur with his white towel, Wally raised his hand eagerly, waving it in the air with authority and excitment. When she sent a nod in his direction, he practically burst out his question. "Oo, Oo! Do we get to choose out partners?" He stole a quick glance at me, and I curved my lips up ever-so-slightly to show I agreed. BC looked between the us, but she only smiled and shook her head.

"Sorry, boys. But I'm picking this time." Wally's face dropped into a puppy dog eyes, but apparently Black Canary was already used to this new face. It was odd not seeing that certain one before, but Wally was always coming up with new manipulation tricks. So, it didn't surprise me all that much. She, however, continued explaining about how the sparing will look.

"It will be one on one, and after the end fight for that round when everyone has gone we will evaluate each team member. There will be two rounds, three if you're up for it." She gave us a half hearted smirk, already putting her hair in a ponytail. "Ready?"

* * *

Batman watched the cameras closely for any unusual signs on Nightwing. Any specific fighting style, moves, or _anything_ out of the ordinary.

It was time to figure out who this guy really was.

* * *

"Good" BC said after we all nodded in agreement, she gestured towards the training room, signaling us to follow. When we reached the far corner, I noticed some major changes in the design. The most obvious was that there was almost no space for trapeze, which sorta made me sad. Although, I did understand. What good was acrobat stuff if you weren't going to use it?

"Okay, Superboy's with Nightwing for the first round. Kaldur and Wally, then M'gan and Artemis." She said, snapping me out of my thoughts.

I nodded in understanding, "Are Superboy and I going first?" I asked curiously. I (almost) jumped for joy when she said 'yes'.

I can now show my new moves.

* * *

Batman could only watch as the scene played out in front of him.

Nightwing got into a defensive fighting stance while Superboy charged, he expertly used him as a human spring board, confusing Superboy. It was only seconds later that Nightwing jumped from behind and attacked. Superboy tried his hardest to fight off the shock while blocking the quick and powerful attacks. He recovered quick enough to throw a few sloppy punches.

 _We'll have to work on that_ Batman silently reminded himself while turning his attention back to the screen, Nightwing had dodged the punches and kicked Superboy in the chest, he staggered a bit. Nightwing took the chance. He used the stagger to his advantage, aiming more punches and kicks at his chest. The powerful blows finally made Superboy fall from exhaustion.

To say Batman was impressed was an understatement.

* * *

 _[Superboy Status: Fail]_

The metallic tone of the robot was all that could be heard. Everyone was staring at me in pure amazement. I sheepishly scratched my raven colored hair, was it really that impressive? I didn't think so, I wasn't the only one that has beaten Conner. Black Canary was the first to speak up, "Um, well, um" She stammered, looking for the right words. "That was.. pretty dang amazing. It's also a new record for beating Superboy. Two minutes and twenty six seconds."

Wally's draw dropped, but he then crossed his arms and gave me a fake mad expression. "You beat my record! It's been the stand alone for two months, awh man!"

I knew he was kidding, so I shrugged in his direction. "Sorry dude. Guess you can't match my skill."

Wally scowled playfully, turning his head away from me for dramatic affect. "Hey, don't be such a diva." I retorted.

"Oh, riiiiiight, _I'm_ the Div-"

Artemis rolled her eyes, scowling at us. And unlike Wally's, it wasn't playful. "Girls! You're both pretty. Can we just move on?" Black Canary, who had now moved on from her shock, nodded. Gesturing to M'gan and Artemis, they got straight to work.

I quickly drained my water bottle as I sat on the bench next to Conner, who refused to look at me. Whether is was from anger or embarrassment, I didn't know. "Hey, nice fighting back there. You've got some strong punches." It wasn't a lie.

Conner sighed, "Thanks. You too."

Hm, he must have worked on the anger thing while I was gone. It was a nice change. I was happy for him that he didn't get mad over the little things anymore, it wasn't the best lifestyle to live in if you're always mad. "Hey, I've been meaning to ask," I said, striking up a conversation to relieve the tension "Why do you like static TV so much?"

He shrugged, "It actually helps me listen to the world around me, for some reason when I watch it I can hear better."

"Cool"

 _[Artemis Status: Fail]_

"I'm up next!" Wally said, bursting with excitement. "You're going down Kaldur"

Kaldur smirked, "I would not be so sure of that."

Artemis growled, storming out of the ring and sitting next to me on the bench. "Nice job" I said truthfully. She mumbled something about me to 'shut up', I frowned. "Why _do_ you not like me, Artemis?"

She was a bit startled by the question, sheepishly looking away. "I-" she sighed, "I don't know. I guess it's because you seem so much like Robin.. and I don't like it. How you pretty much replaced him. Or at least, feels like it."

"I've never met Robin, but he seems like a great person." I lied, "I promise you, I will never try and replace him. Nobody can replace someone, especially when you care about them. Whether you believe it or not is your choice."

I left Artemis to let the information sink in as I got up from the bench.

 _[Kid Flash Status: Failure]_

"Dangit!" Kid Flash yelled out, grabbing Kaldur's hand to get off his rear then shaking hands with him. Good old Wally, always has the sportsmanship.

"You fought well, my friend" Kaldur smiled at him, Wally gave him a small smile back.

"Thanks, you too." Wally said, looking at BC as she stepped into the ring.

"Who's ready for round two?"

* * *

Batman was still getting nowhere.

"This guy must have developed his own fighting style" Batman murmured. He couldn't find any coach that taught that many skills, much less that powerful of moves. It really stumped him, how could someone be this sneaky? It was like he never existed.

But Batman as determined. He _would_ find the identity. It was his goal. His mission.

And he never fails a mission.

* * *

Yes! Finally done. Sorry this took so long, I've been so caught up with school/home life, it's been almost impossible to update this.

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	8. Therapy and Suspicions

**Disclaimer:** I don't own YJ or any of its characters

* * *

The members stared at Batman, it was his first time in the watch tower in over a week. Everyone had slowly started noticing Batman's, er, _obsessive_ behavior towards Nightwing. What was he so interested on knowing? This was the key thought running through everyone's heads, making them more curious as time rolled on. But Batman walked as if he didn't notice their stares. Looking towards his goal, the League computers.

Black Canary perked up with interest when she noticed him walking to it, slowly being filled with curiosity, yet a bit of sadness too. Was Bruce's way of getting over Dick stalking someone else? She shook her head, that couldn't be it. But there _was_ one way to find out. And so, she walked over to the storming man in his black suit.

"Batman?" She said, leaning closer. "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine" He growled out, turning his attention away from the computer for a split second.

"Batman.." She trailed off, looking for the right words. "Is there something going on between you and Nightwing?" He just grumbled, but seemed more keen on listening. She continued, "Is this your way of getting over Robin?"

He lashed out, "No! I am just trying to find out who he is, alright?" He stood up, with the swish of his cape, he was gone, leaving the whole station in silence.

"Well.." Green Arrow mumbled, "That didn't go out as planned."

Wonder Woman's eyes lit up with the hearing of gossip. Black Canary laughed a bit inside, who knew an Amazon Princess would like gossip? "I wonder if that's why he's so obsessed on Nightwing. Does he not know his identity?"

She froze, ears practically twitching to hear the conversation.

"That's ridiculous!" Green Arrow said loudly, pulling down his cowl to reveal Oliver. "He knows who everyone is!"

Flash zoomed beside him, "Maybe this is an acceptation. Nightwing seems very keen on keeping his identity a secret."

"But from Batman?" Oliver scoffed, "That's unheard of. Also a dumb conclusion."

Wonder Woman laughed, "If Batman doesn't know who he is, then he probably doesn't exist."

They laughed, but Dinah's wheels began to turn.

 _"I'm just trying to figure out.."_

 _"Probably doesn't exist.."_

 _Doesn't exist.._

She needed to talk to Nightwing.

* * *

"Therapy session!" Called BC immediately as she walked through the Zeta Beam, her voice sounded eager, and she said it so loud me and the team could barely hear the Zeta Beam announcer.

"Who would like to go first?" She asked, over excited. Something had to be up, she never used to be so eager and overly happy when we had therapy. "Today is one on one" She glanced at me several times while saying, "And make sure to be open, nothing leaves this room!" Once again with the overly happy attitude. Something was up, there had to be something up.

"Who would like to go first?" She was staring at me now, I didn't want to go _at all_. But she was looking at me with a face that had two meanings. One was a begging face, the other meaning was _do it or else._

"I will" I said, shrugging off my uneasy feeling.

"Great!" BC said enthusiastically, "Follow me."

We walked down the narrow hallway, eventually reaching the room. It looked a bit different than I remember, the walls were a light blue. The couches also must have been replaced.

"So.." BC said, interrupting my thoughts. "How are you feeling?"

"Like I don't want to be here" I told her, my face showed boredom. I could feel the uneasiness go up my back once again as she gave me a pointed look.

"It's fine, sort of missing Blüdhaven." I admitted. Her eyes lit up, crap.

"Why? do you have family in Blüdhaven?" She asked. I could tell she was trying her hardest not to lean on the edge of her seat.

"..No" I told her, frowning at her relaxed face. Why had she changed personas so quickly?

"Oh. Are you eighteen?" BC asked skeptically.

"Nope, fourteen." I told her, my uneasiness being small was now an understatement. What was her point? What did she want?

"Okay" She said, trying to relax. "Then where is your family?"

"Dead"

"Oh"

I rolled my eyes, "Can I just go now?" I didn't wait for an invitation. I got up, walking towards the door.

"Wait! Nightwing," She said softly, I looked a her with interest. "Batman says.. he can't find out who you are. So, who are you? And why can't he find you?"

As I started to walk out, I gave her my last words. "I don't exist"

* * *

Batman growled, replaying the video of the therapy room. How can he not exist? Of course, it sort of made sense. Why else would he not be able to find him? "I will find you, Nightwing" Batman grumbled, turning back to his computer. But as he did, he glanced up as a small picture floated down to him. "Huh?"

He snatched the photo, sadness washed over him as he looked at it. It was him and Dick, standing in front of the mansion the day he arrived. Bruce was smiling because Dick had told him a joke right before the camera snapped.

Bruce felt a longing to see Dick again, see his smile. He knew it could only happen in memories. But.. Bruce couldn't help but think Dick may still be out there. He knew it was a very silly way of thinking, but part of him wanted to believe it.

Turning his attention back to the photo, he came to the conclusion that I had been taken down by a simple gust of wind from the air vents.

Little did he know, his favorite little bird was watching him from the shadows.

* * *

I smiled as I watched Bruce go back to the photo. It was much to late to show him who I was, but I missed him. God did I miss him.

It was hard sneaking past Alfred, but he must have been off his game today as I snuck into my old room, grabbed the photo, and dropped it from the top of the Batcave. I wanted to see Bruce's reaction, and I wasn't disappointed.

I watched him get back to work before turning and walking out the same way I got in, through a little hole I had discovered as Robin. It was big enough to fit my slim figure, but it was still a bit tight.

As I ran from the mansion and to the Zeta Beams, I knew I was missed. Maybe I had been wrong to run from Bruce and the league and my friends. Maybe, just maybe, I could return.

* * *

Thanks everyone for the follows and favorites! I appreciate it!

Sorry for the short chapter :(

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	9. Thinking

**Disclaimer:** I don't own YJ or any of its characters

* * *

"And this is why I propose.."

Bruce silently rolled his eyes. He was at another conference with Lex Luthor, which was funny because he was Superman's arch enemy. There was a slight squeaking of birds outside, he drowned out the sound trying to focus, but finding himself losing it quickly.

He frowned slightly, looking at his watch. He was almost expecting a text from Dick, saying "How was your day?" or "I'm sorry about the conference.. Sounds soooo boring." He also expected Dick to be smiling at him as he walked through the door when he got home. But this would never happen again. Dick was gone, and he must accept that nothing will bring he back.

Bruce gave a small sigh of relief as the conference ended. He shook hands with Luthor, grabbed his suitcase, and went as fast as he could to get the heck out of there.

Nothing could shake the feeling of sadness that washed over Bruce as he passed a picture on his desk of Dick. He brushed the lint off his shoulder as if trying to brush off his grief as well. Trying to get his mind off of it, he grabbed his shiny keys, jogging to the parking lot as he tried to beat the paparazzi, grinning as he successfully did so.

Bruce sped over the streets of Gotham, loving the feeing of his car. Even though he was Batman, Bruce Wayne still loved the feeling of going fast. He also loved cars, and no one could deny that.

He finally reached the manor. Buzzing for Alfred to let him in, he patiently waited for the butler to respond.

Nothing.

Okay, that was odd.

He buzzed again.

Nothing.

Now getting suspicious, he drove to the side and went in through the Batcave, only to find Alfred dusting around the large cave.

Alfred looked up, surprised. "I am sorry for not buzzing you in, Master Bruce." He said apologetically, "I did not expect you till much later."

"It's fine, Alfred." Bruce said, making his way upstairs. He was lost in thought about the conference, but suddenly found himself turning the knob into Dick's room. He hesitantly opened it. It's been forever since he's been in here, not knowing what to expect as he did so. He looked around the room. Everything was in place. Except..

Bruce's eyes widened. "The poster?"

Where was it?!

He frantically looked around. It was one of Dick's most prized possessions. He couldn't just let it disappear!

He searched around the room, hoping it had fallen. But it was nowhere in sight.

Bruce turned to walk out the door in a flurry to see the security cameras, when something stopped him in his tracks. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw a little white thing sticking out of the desk. It was a letter, sitting under the stool. He hadn't noticed it till now, and he was quite scared to read it. As he opened it, his mouth dropped. He held onto it, running down the long stairs calling Alfred's name as his loud voice echoed through the quiet mansion.

* * *

I had made a quick visit to Bludhaven to drop off my Flying Grayson's poster. I had temporarily shut off he security cameras, not wanting Bruce to know I knew his secret identity. But I was still nervous, what if he found out? How on earth would I be able to cover it up?

I had long and hard thought about revealing myself to Bruce, but it was much to late for me to return. I could just imagine me saying "hey, not dead! Ha.. Long time no see?"

I laughed at what Bruce's expression might be, but at the same time, though I wouldn't admit it out loud, I was scared to see his reaction. What if he was angry? Disowned me? Never wanted to speak to me again? Wally was the only guy I could tell my identity to. He would never tell and scream at me.

But even he was a little mad..

Wally and I had been best friends since.. forever. When we met on the day Bruce made me go out and meet Barry's nephew, four years ago, we both knew we would be destined to be friends.

Thank god for Wally. I don't know what I'd do without him.

I layed back, staring at my boring ceiling. Maybe I should paint it? Megan used to be a pretty good painter, I'm sure she would do it.

I taugh her how to make cookies earlier this week, turns out she didn't quite understand the directions. She always put the oven to 600, and was very surprised when she found out she had did it wrong. Not to mention she put way to much baking powder..

I smiled.

I missed my team when I went solo. I thought about stalking once, in fact, I did once. But the memories were way to painful, especially since I couldn't speak to them.

Then I heard footsteps.

I looked over to see my door know turning, and I quickly threw on my mask.

Only to see Wally, I sighed in relief.

"Hey KF." I greeted, he just frowned. "What's wrong?"

"I don't know how much longer I can keep this secret, Rob." He muttered, "Megan was crying over you earlier, and I was about to slip. I can't stand to see my teammates be in so much grief."

Wally looked so much older at that moment. He actually look fifteen.

"Wally.. You made a promise." I told him, his shoulders slumped. "I want to tell them too. But I can't risk it."

Wally nodded, coming to sit next to me. "I just wish-"

"Me too." I interrupted, nodding sadly. "Thanks for keeping my secret, even though it's hard for both of us."

He sighed, "you're welcome Rob."

We sat there for a bit before hearing the alarms go off for a mission. One look, and we were off.

* * *

Hi guys.. long time no see?

I know, you need an explanation, and here it is:

My baby cousin Gavin passed away at six months old, and I was in so much grief. Just as I got back into the spirit of writing this chapter, my great grandfather died of old age. It's been a very sad couple of months for me..

Anyway, I'm sorry this chapter sucked.

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Guest #1: THE FEEELSSSS

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	10. Posters and Regret

**Disclaimer** : I don't own YJ or any of its characters

* * *

Bruce stared angrily at the security cameras, searching for whoever stole the poster. He glanced at the letter, it was from.. Dick. Probably before he died, might have been a "I'm going out" note, even if it was a bit fancy. Whatever it was, he didn't have the heart to look at it. Not yet. Maybe not ever. It just depended if he was ready to find out what Dick's last thoughts were. Were they angry? Sad? It _would_ make sense, after all, he had threatened to pull him off the team for a simple mistake. Bruce didn't know why he was going out that night. It could have been because he wanted to prove himself, or maybe because of wanting to clear his head. Whatever the reason, Bruce knew he'd be upset and sad.

He finally found a lead. There was a man dressed in black, climbing into the room. He grabbed the post, then sneaked out. After zooming in on his face, the image shocked him, and made him angry. "Nightwing!" He growled, throwing on his suit and heading for the cave. "Alfred! I'm going out!" He yelled upstairs, but didn't stay long enough to hear the answer. Instead, he ran into the Zeta Beam.

Nightwing was going to pay.

* * *

I frowned, hearing the Zeta Beam cry out Batman's name, I heard him growl in anger, making my teammates look up in fear. Crap, he must have found out about the poster. I tried to make a run for it, only to be stopped by a _very_ angry Batman.

He grabbed me by my neck, pulling me into the training area. I saw confused and horrified glances as I was pulled out of view, hitting a corner on my way. "Jeez, Batman. I'm sure you really know how to keep a house guest if this is how you treat me."

"How do you know my secret identity?" He half asked half demanded. I frowned at him, coming up with the best lie I could on the spot. Hopefully it was a good one, and I hope it would tie Batman in. For now.

"Really wasn't that hard to figure out. I mean, all I had to do was search through the security cameras at the Watch Tower. Wonder Woman always slips up and calls you by your real name." I said with a smirk, Bruce looked like he wanted to strangle me. "You should really tell her to knock it off, would be a big shame if someone besides me saw the security cameras."

"Was that a threat, Nightwing?" He demanded, I shrugged.

"No, not really." I told him with a smirk. His eyes glared at me, making me flinch slightly, he's still got the Bat Glare going for him, I'll give him that. "I'm honestly surprised you haven't figured out my identity, BW. It's quite simple, really." I laughed at the trying-to-keep-from-strangling-you face he made, making his glare even darker.

"I've already narrowed you down, Nightwing. I _will_ find out your identity. Even if it means ripping your mask off right here and now."

I frowned, tilting my head slightly out of curiosity. I straightened it before giving him my bat-glare I had practiced and intensified during downtime. Yes, I'm that bored. Sue me. "I shouldn't have agreed to join your stupid team, Batman. It's been fun, but if you only wanted me here to figure one thing out, then I think I should go." I stood up boldly, heading down the hallway before Bruce could blink.

"Stop right there, Nightwing!" Yelled Batman. I ignored him, waving goodbye to my past teammates.

"To late, Bats. I. Quit." He pulled my arm, whipping me around. "How childish." I told him with a glare, he was obviously searching for the right words.

"I am.. sorry." He muttered, I raised an eyebrow. "I didn't mean to offend you, I'm just frustrated."

I nodded in respect, trying to keep a calm face instead of a boasting face and tone. "Apology accepted. Now, please stop trudging into my room without knocking, would you?" I smiled, making my way to my room once more, and I heard the Zeta Beam shout out Batman's name.

"Whoa, R- er, Nightwing! What did you do? Did you just make Batman.. apologize!?" Wally asked, cutting me off from the hallway. "Dude! That should go down in Batman history!"

I laughed, seeing my teammates very confused, I tried my best to explain. "I honestly don't know how I did that. He tried to force me to give out my identity, so I threatened to quit. And now, here we are." I said that last part quieter than I had mean to, but I covered it up with a smirk.

I ran, jumping over the back of the couch and plopping down, making Megan squeal slightly. "So, what do you guys want to do in the meantime?" I asked, contemplating. While the team was arguing on what to watch, I kept thinking about the note I had slipped Bruce. Did I make the right decision? It was over how much I loved him, and I tried to act like I wrote it before I left and tragically, er, died.

"Nightwing? Can I, uh, talk to you for a second?" Wally asked. I cocked an eyebrow, but nodded and followed to his room.

The second we reached the room, he took in a deep breath. "Dick.. I'm not sure how much longer I can keep this up. I know I made a promise, but I'm no sure if I can.. keep it. Everyone misses you, Robin. _E_ _veryone._ And we both know it would be a huge lie if you denied you missed Bruce too."

I took in a shaky breath, "I know, I do miss Bruce and the team. I just feel like it's.. to late. What will they think or say? What will Bruce think or say?" There it was, the true reason behind not wanting to give out my identity. I was afraid of everyone's reaction, especially Bruce's. What would they think or feel about me? Would Bruce ever want to talk to me again?

"Do you know what I'll think he'll say?" Wally told me quietly, "I missed you, son."

With that, he sped out, leaving me with my own thoughts and doubts for ever going through with this plan. I shouldn't have scared Bruce like that, shouldn't have scared _anyone_ like that. Maybe Wally was right, maybe I should just spill the truth.

As I made my way back towards the living room where everyone had finally given up and watched static, I knew I had many big choices to make. Choices that could impact my life and everyone else's for the better, or for the worse. I knew I had to make these choices quickly.

I wasn't just going to disappear again.

* * *

YES! The story is almost over! Only a few more chapters! :)

Also, I'm not sure if this is just happening to me.. but I can't see all the reviews. I can't see everyone that posted a review to me because is having a bug or something, so sorry if I don't get to you! :(

(These reviews are only for chapter 9...)

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Unlucky Alis: I know! I course he did! Typically Robin.. Thanks for the review!

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Guest: Thanks! :)

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